Chapter 8
Montgomery
Sex.
I hadn’t felt the desire to enter into any kind of carnal activity for two years.
Why the hell I’d purposely broken my own code of resistance was beyond me, except for the fact that Aspen was indeed a beautiful woman.
She was also a born submissive, even though she would continue fighting the dark hunger buried deep within her for years to come.
She managed to bring out my own sadistic needs, the kind of longing that I wasn’t certain deserved a second chance.
My cock twitched all over again at the thought of taking her. I could ravage her body all night long. Maybe I should have stayed and done just that. A round of visions popped into my mind all over again. She’d awakened the man inside.
One who was so dark and depraved that I wasn’t certain I knew him any longer. What I did know was that I was happier when I was around her. That was crazy. Maybe I was unhinged.
Laughing, I took a sip of my scotch, staring at the flames licking across the well-seasoned wood.
I definitely had a love-hate relationship with the house I’d built.
After Carmine’s death, I’d found it difficult to stay in the house, but I took comfort from being here.
Besides, it suited my needs on every level.
Once again, I thought about the playroom located upstairs.
Maybe it would find use again one day. I rubbed the glass across my forehead, still surprised that Aspen had managed to pull me into the light.
I’d enjoyed my time with her, maybe too much.
I spent a good portion of my time in this room, often falling asleep on the couch.
It suited me with the dark interior and leather furniture.
Carmine had called it my man cave, the only location in the house she refused to spend any time in.
She’d teased me relentlessly about my taste in décor.
Hell, she’d been right. What did I know about decorating a home?
There was almost six thousand square feet in the main house, and I refused to enter several of the rooms.
Fuck. I closed my eyes briefly, struggling with the images and memories rushing inside.
As I fingered the glass, swirling it back and forth on my thigh, I shoved aside the ugliness, returning my thoughts to Aspen.
She’d pushed every button in her attempt to jar me out of the obvious funk I’d placed myself into.
She’d done so in spades, but not in the manner she was likely thinking.
I took another gulp, draining the glass then swirling it back and forth in my hand.
I’d left within minutes of our second round of passion, saying very little to her.
No one would ever confuse me with being romantic.
She’d tried to get too close, or maybe that was my jaded thinking.
In truth, she’d just wanted to get to know more about me.
What I was forced to realize was that I could easily break her.
Shifting forward, the ugly voice inside of me refused to release its claws.
Fuck her. Own her. Use her.
“Stop. Just stop.” The frustration and sadness rose up like the ugly beast it was. I tossed the glass against the fireplace, gasping for air. I was forced to press my hand against my chest, pain almost blinding.
No. No. No!
Huffing, I jerked to my feet, taking long strides toward the small but fully stocked bar. My hand was shaking from an extreme hit of adrenaline as I grabbed another glass, finally able to shove aside my sadistic desires. Business. I had to think about business.
I took several deep breaths, hating my body’s reaction. I’d prided myself in my control for my entire adult life. I’d failed on that level as well as with everything else.
I’d been angry with Aspen’s analysis of the financial situation, but she was accurate on every count.
Damn it. She was good at what she did. A bead of perspiration trickled down the side of my face.
I wiped it away furiously, cursing under my breath.
After adding another ice cube and filling the glass, I moved to the set of French doors, staring out at the blackened night.
There were freaking stars in the sky like there were almost every night. And I hated it. I had one of the most exquisite views on the entire estate, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d bothered to look.
Nothing had mattered to me for so damn long.
Except for Aspen.
Her face.
Her stunning eyes.
The lilt of her voice.
Use her. Take her. Possess her.
Damn it. What the fuck did I think I was doing? Her scent lingered on my skin, the taste of her adding to the richness of the scotch. And my cock ached all over again just thinking about her. She’d surrendered to my needs, yet she’d had no idea the kind of man she’d just fucked.
She would soon learn.
I was the kind of monster nightmares were made of.
In order to get the hell out of this mess, I had to force myself to stay away from her. Somehow. That wasn’t going to be easy, but I refused to drag her into the middle of a fight that had started so long ago. No one was going to hurt her.
My heart racing, I took another gulp, grimacing when I heard my phone.
It was freaking late. Not only did I not expect any business calls at this hour, I was pissed that someone would bother my private time.
After grabbing it from the coffee table, I was furious to see my brother’s number on the screen.
What the hell did the man want now? I’d made it pretty damn clear he needed to find another patsy.
I stared at the screen for a few seconds before forcing the call into voicemail then tossing my phone.
No way I was getting into the same old argument again.
I left the phone where it was, making plans for the day ahead. Maybe it was time to pay a visit to Prescott. He needed to know exactly what would happen if he continued pushing me.
Then there was a meeting of the board of directors.
I would need to curtail my defensiveness, able to show them a new plan was in place.
If what I suspected about Prescott was true, and if the FBI was really looking into his business activities, I had a feeling that things might be looking up in the future.
I turned around one last time, studying the licking flames. I could almost feel Carmine looking down, disgusted with the man I’d become.
That was it.
Time for the old Montgomery Wolfe to return, only this time I’d sharpen my claws.
* * *
The morning dawned with the same crystal blue skies that I’d grown accustomed to. I stood outside my vehicle, staring at the mountains in the distance, inhaling the crisp, clean air. I was in a surprisingly good mood for a change, maybe because I’d had some kind of breakthrough overnight.
Was it because of the luscious woman I’d fucked for hours? Perhaps. Or maybe my determination to finally exact the revenge I’d hungered for was the driving factor. Either way, I was prepared for whatever the damn day had to offer.
Including a difficult meeting with the board.
I slid into my Ferrari, enjoying the rumble of the engine. As I slipped the gear into drive, I glanced into the rearview mirror. A quick stop at my office then an unexpected, forced meeting with Prescott. I could only imagine his surprise when I showed up on his doorstep for morning coffee.
And the conversation that would leave him shaking in his boots.
Laughing, I gunned the engine, pressing my foot on the gas pedal and accelerating, taking the curves of the driveway at a high rate of speed.
I jerked out onto the main estate road, fishtailing briefly, still smiling as dust billowed into the air.
Within two minutes, I pulled in front of the main office, jerking the car to a stop.
The Ferrari handled like a dream, my one luxurious purchase I’d made since Carmine’s death.
Robert had called it an early midlife crisis.
I’d made certain he knew that I deserved the prized possession for all my hard work.
Hell, my father had kept his aging Dodge for years, never purchasing anything that would be considered out of character.
I wasn’t my father. That had been determined a long time ago.
As I strode into the building, I could tell it was already bustling with activity.
From what Robert had told me, the employees were excited at the possible changes.
Maybe he’d jumped the gun a bit early, but what the hell?
Let them work even harder to achieve our goal.
I nodded to several individuals, acknowledging them by name.
That was one aspect of leadership my father had drilled into me early on.
“Learn their names and at least one important detail about them. Then they will feel more loyalty to you during the tough times.”
His sage statement had been challenged over the last two years.
As I neared the door to my office, I felt a presence, a heated shudder racing down the length of my body. She was here. She was close. My breath skipping, I turned my head.
Aspen was a lovely vision, her long hair swept up into a ponytail, her attire exactly like the day before; jeans and a tight tee shirt. With her combat-style boots, I could tell she was prepared to take on anything that was tossed in her direction.
Including the shit I’d given her.
She smiled, taking a single step closer then pulling away as soon as two other employees walked up the stairs.
While a part of me wanted to talk to her, I knew what I had to say wouldn’t be what she would expect to hear.
I also reminded myself that any weakness would be exploited.
So I did what I always did. I shut down, turning away immediately.
No. Jerking her into my nightmare wasn’t fair to the woman.
She would never be able to handle let alone understand my sadistic needs.
At least this way, I might be able to keep her out of harm’s way.
“Aspen. You’re early,” Robert said from behind me.